Gone
by Cora1
Summary: Gibbs finds Tony a decade after he leaves to find Jeanne.  Set after Bury Your Dead and following episodes. Complete
1. Chapter 1

Gone

A decade later Gibbs finds Tony after he left. Set after Bury Your Dead Tony went after Jeanne after being fed up with the team.

Safe for all readers

DiNozzo didn't come into work the next day or the next. Gibbs wasn't worried, every night Tony would show up in Gibb's basement seeming to know when the older man was home. They didn't talk much, not much was needed to say. Gibb's knew Tony was hurting and needed someone nearby, even if he didn't talk about it. It was the fifth day when Jethro became worried.

Tony still didn't show up to work and that night he didn't occupy his space in the basement to work on the boat. Gibbs looked for him when he came into the office the next day but all he found was an e-mail telling him and Shepard that he was taking two weeks off. Tony had the time on the books so Gibbs couldn't fault him but he didn't know what to do without the nightly contact.

Two weeks after the sprinkler had doused Tony twice and as his team watched as he burned the letter from Jeanne, Gibbs entered Tony's apartment.

'Just to check' Gibbs told himself. He had told the rest of the team not to worry, that Tony was just taking some much needed time off and they all agreed it was for the best, but he could still see the worry in their eyes.

Gibbs knocked twice and waited for Tony to open the door. It was ten at night and he reasoned the kid should be home on a Wednesday night but there was no sound coming from inside. He silently let himself into the apartment and was shocked to see the place empty. It looked as if Tony had never lived there. All of his pictures, movies, entertainment equipment, and plants were gone. All that was left were holes in the walls where things had once hung. Then Gibbs got mad, he stormed through the small apartment looking for any sign of DiNozzo but found none. Overwhelming sadness engulfed him then, he hadn't realized it had gotten this bad. Ever since the explosion, his coma, the memory loss and his leaving things hadn't been the same between him and his senior agent. Gibbs put it down to Tony feeling chafed under his command again after leading the team for months. But it was more than that, since Jeanne had entered the picture, intentionally or not, Tony had found a reason to look outside of work for companionship and realize he could be happy even when he wasn't at work. He had found someone else who appreciated him and showed it more often then an aloof ex-marine.

Gibbs called Ziva to ask for the directions to Jeanne's place. He had a gut feeling he would find the same thing he found at Tony's. When Ziva and Tony had first gone to Jeanne's place after she had found out about Tony they said only clothes and personal items were gone but when he entered, it was completely cleaned out, like Tony's place. Now he knew what Tony had been doing during the day when he wasn't coming to work.

When Gibbs got to work the next morning he found what he hoped he never would. Tony's badge and service weapon were on his desk along with 2 letters, one for him and one for the director. He opened his letter with a vicious growl.

Special Agent Gibbs,

This is my official letter of resignation. I feel I have accomplished everything I came to do. I thank you for the opportunity.

Anthony DiNozzo

Underneath was another letter.

Boss,

I know you don't understand why I am leaving and probably never will but this is something I have to do. I'm going after Jeanne and asking her to take me back. Please don't try to find me; this is something I have to do alone. I can't thank you enough for offering me everything 7 years ago, I am a changed man because of you, I hope a better man. I hope to see you again.

Tony

P.S. Tell the team they can now raid my desk.

Gibb's stared at the letter for a long time, when he finally looked up he realized the rest of the team were already there watching him. He stood slowly.

"McGee, you're my new senior agent, find someone to be our fourth." He said before walking upstairs to deliver the director's letter.

10 years later

Gibbs stood outside a white suburban house, complete with a white picket fence and blue shutters. This was the last place he expected to find his old agent. A couple walked by with their terrier speaking French so rapidly Gibbs couldn't catch even the few words he knew.

He summoned up his courage and knocked on the large door.

A woman with blue eyes and dark hair opened the door, she was obviously pregnant and far along at that. She smiled to greet the older man but stopped as she took a closer look.

"Jethro Gibbs?" She asked, she had never met the man but had heard enough about him from her husband. This was almost like meeting her father-in-law. Which excited her because she had never met any of her husband's family.

The older man nodded.

Jeanne smiled. "I'm Jeanne Beniot-DiNozzo, its nice to finally meet you. Come in, Tony's not home at the moment but I expect him shortly. How was your trip here?" She asked as she took his smaller bag inside.

"It's very nice to meet you, I wasn't sure this was the right place. France was the last place I expected DiNozzo to settle down, if anywhere I would think Spain."

Jeanne nodded. "Tony loves Spain, it's usually where we vacation. He likes it here as well and picked up French quickly."

They stood in the foyer awkwardly until Jeanne motioned him upstairs.

"Your room is all ready. Tony started working on it after we finished Olivia's room, about 7 years ago. We bought the house 8 years ago and I think he's been waiting for a visit ever since."

Gibbs was awestruck at the room Jeanne showed him too. It was done in dark wood paneling on the bottom half the top half of the walls were ocean blue. The queen bed had a striped comforter, done in whites and blues. The pictures on the walls consisted of ships old and new. There was a small dresser, nightstand, and an old steamer trunk arranged around the bed. Two doors led off the room one to the closet and another to a small but efficient bathroom.

Gibbs placed his things on the bed as he continued to look around. Tony had obviously spent a lot of time in here decorating and it couldn't have been cheap but Jeanne didn't seem to mind. She stood taking in his reaction with a pleased look on her face."

"I hope you don't mind but this is the bedroom closest to the nursery, so in another month or so it may be it a bit louder. But it has a great view and gets a lot of light in the morning. I mean, it also depends on how long your staying, if you'll even be here when the baby comes." Jeanne tried to amend, she didn't mean it to sound like they expected him to move in, which was exactly what they were hoping for.

Gibbs smile and just shook his head no to show that he didn't mind about the nursery. Truth was, he wasn't even sure how long he was staying. Jeanne continued.

"Tony's and my bedroom is all the way down the hall, opposite side and Olivia's and James rooms are in the middle. Then the nursery and your room, there's another bathroom between Olivia's and James rooms."

"Olivia and James?" Gibbs had to ask.

"Our children, Olivia is eight and James is four. They are both at school but Tony will be picking them up soon. Why don't you get settled and I'll go down and make some tea. Come down when you're ready, I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

Gibbs nodded then began unpacking his few belongings. He pulled out his cane that he sometimes needed when his knee would act up, old age was starting to creep up on him and he hated it. The cane had been a gift from Ducky who had passed two years before. He missed his old friend. He went through the rest of his belongings, most of which Abby had packed, she seemed to know what he needed and not. McGee had driven him to the airport while Abby cried. She made him promise that he would come back no matter what he found.

Gibbs slowly made his way downstairs; he could smell coffee in the air and decided to move quicker. He walked back through the foyer, through a living room and into a spacious kitchen. He was very impressed with the house, as he had seen so far, it was large but homey. Jeanne smiled at him and poured a large mug of coffee then poured herself a small mug of tea.

"Ask away," she offered.

Gibbs didn't know where to begin, he sat for a moment with his rich coffee and thought.

"You said you two bought the house eight years ago but you've been gone for ten, what did you do before that?"

"When I left I didn't tell Tony where I was going but he knew, I had talked about it for a long time but it never seemed like the right time, then all of the sudden it was. I went to Africa as part of Doctors Without Borders; I choose to work in Dafur. Tony chased me down, I have no idea how, he said it was 'old fashioned police work' but there he was. He joined in with the few of us and helped set up new clinics, treat the refugees and build new houses. He learned how to triage and anything else we needed. The locals loved him; he would do anything. Towards the end of the first year he became sick, pneumonia, he told me about the plague and it got a lot worse before it got better but he did recover but it took a long time before he was back to what he was before. During that time I became pregnant, we decided we didn't want to have the babies there in Dafur; the fighting was especially bad at the time. But every time we tried to leave something would hold us back, Tony would get sick again, I was sick, the border would closer, whatever. The babies came early. We named them Olivia and Jet. Jet only lived 3 days, he was underdeveloped, his lungs couldn't support him and we didn't have the proper equipment. Tony buried him behind our hut the night he died. It was a hard time on all of us." Jeanne stopped for a moment for a breather; she refilled both their cups.

"We finally left Africa when Olivia was 2 months old, we came here and bought the house. And before you ask we bought it with our own money, believe me, were still paying it off and have a long way to go. Neither of us wanted help from our fathers, though they both offered."

Gibbs had to stop her there.

"Tony's talked to his father?" He couldn't believe it, Tony had not once in the seven years he had known him talked to his father, Tony seemed to hate his father and the feeling seemed mutual.

"Yes, well after we married and Papa found out and he knew for sure who Tony was he contacted Antonio. We found out the two had done business together from time to time; we didn't want to know anymore then that. I never met Antonio but Tony went to meet him and it didn't go well. That was 7 years ago and we haven't heard from him since."

"What do you two do...for work?"

"Well, once this little ones out, I'll go back to work at the local hospital, I'm head of General Surgery. Tony works for the American Embassy. In short, if any American citizen gets in trouble they usually call Tony to investigate, to see if the tourist was taken for a scam or if they were the ones instigating anything. They trust Tony to find out the truth good or bad. It's a part time gig most of the time; sometimes he'll be gone for days. Otherwise he coaches local teams, any team- basketball, football, rugby, water polo, whatever is needed. The kids love him, as does our local school. When we moved here and I wanted to go back to work, Tony offered to stay home. He did and when James was born four years later he picked where he left off with Olivia, he's already expressed excitement at staying home with this little one when they come. He's slowed down a lot and I think he likes it. The investigating keeps him busy but not busy enough so he can't pursue other things, he has a good balance."

At that moment they heard a car door slam and feet running towards the front door. Then Tony's voice calling out:

"Hey, no running in the house and who's going to help me carry the pizza in? I don't give free rides!"

Tony and Gibbs meet for the first time in 10 years.

Good/bad? It's something floating around in my head. Just something different cause Tony is treated like crap and I think he deserves better. :)


	2. Chapter 2

First off I want to thank everyone who reviewed and to all those who added my story their story alerts.

I'm glad others feel the same about the treatment of Tony; hopefully this story gives Tony lovers some happiness!

Gibbs froze at the sound Tony's voice, something he hadn't heard in ten years. Jeanne flashed Jethro a brief smile before levering herself up and bracing as the front door flew open. Two blurs ran in straight to Jeanne giving her hugs before entering the kitchen.

The little girl had brown hair that was in pigtails, her blue eyes matched her mothers exactly. She was chattering away to her mother as she pulled out plates and cups using a stool step to get the cupboards. She handed the dishware down to a smaller boy who had lighter hair and bright green eyes, his coloring was lighter than Tony's but matched more to Jeanne's.

Jeanne turned to the kids taking away the dishware and setting it on the table next to Gibbs. Olivia stopped talking as she noticed the strange man sitting at the table.

Olivia examined Gibbs closely then her eyes lit up as she recognized him. She spoke rapidly in French and when Gibbs looked confused she looked to her mother.

"Sweetie, this is Jethro Gibbs, daddy's friend. He's from America so he only speaks English, so try to only speak English in the house, okay?" Jeanne asked, then turned to James and started to sign to him. Gibbs watched in awe as she signed something he didn't recognize then slowly morphed into American Sign Language.

His attention quickly returned to Olivia as she stepped forward and held out her hand.

"I'm Olivia DiNizzo, it's nice to meet you Mr. Gibbs. I was saying you are in the photo on daddy's nightstand. You're his Daddy!" She exclaimed. Gibbs stared in shock at her not knowing what to say. She was definitely Tony's child she spoke just as rapidly as Tony used to when he was excited. Gibbs wasn't sure what to say about the Daddy comment. Jeanne was about to step in when Tony walked in carrying a briefcase, a large pizza box, with a Pepsi bottle balanced on top and two small backpacks. Jeanne quickly went over to grab the food and leaned in as Tony pressed a kiss on her cheek. Tony set down the briefcase and backpacks and turned to scold his children when he saw Gibbs sitting with Olivia still holding his hand from when they shook.

Tony and Gibbs stared at each other for a long moment before Gibbs turned his attention back to Olivia.

"I'm Jethro Gibbs, it's very nice to meet you." He said completing the handshake.

"Kids, why don't we eat outside and let Daddy and Gibbs talk alone." Jeanne said and signed as she grabbed everything they needed.

Tony nodded before helping her carry everything out and returning with two plates of pizza, he also pulled out two beers. He stood at the table next to Gibbs unsure of what to do. Gibbs stood and reached out his hand, someone had to make first contact. Tony smiled and clasped hands with the older man before pulling him into a hug. They stood together for a moment soaking in each other presence. They separated with Tony looking down sheepishly and Jethro smiling at the familiar posture. Tony hadn't changed completely. He studied the younger man as they both sat. Tony looked older but more at ease and confident. He had more laugh lines/wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, his skin was darker which made his eyes look more alive and at the moment they were dancing.

Tony was doing his own observation of Gibbs at the same time. The older man looked older, more his age then when Tony had last seen him. His hair was whiter with streaks of gray instead of the other way around; he seemed softer around the eyes and the middle. Tony also noticed the way Gibbs favored his left leg when he stood and he could feel the different weight distribution when they hugged. Overall, Tony was pleased. When he first left he had been worried about who would take care of Gibbs, to make sure he ate regularly, took breaks, got away from the boat once in a while and slept properly. It looked like someone had taken his role and for that he was grateful.

The silence had stretched on a moment too long.

"I have one question," Gibbs asked.

Tony nodded he knew.

"Why?" Tony asked and Gibbs nodded. "I...after...I guess things just added up and it got out of control. The plague, Jeffery White, the explosion, your coma, being team leader, the last case with the baby and then Jeanne. Jeanne showed me I could have more; that at forty I could have a wife, kids and not just a job to fill my life with. Jeanne left me a choice, stay or join her. It was either leave my family- you, Probie, Ziva, Ducky, Abby, even Palmer or join Jeanne and start a new family, my own family with someone I loved and made me feel whole and wanted. Am I making any sense here?" Tony asked sheepishly.

Gibbs smiled and nodded; he leaned forward grasping his beer bottle, ignoring his pizza.

"So I guess we lost, huh?" He asked with a small grin.

Tony nodded. "At my last case, watching them with their baby I realized for the first time I wanted that. I wanted a baby, a house, a wife and everything that came with it. I was thirty-five years old, how much time did I have to waste to find a new woman like Jeanne and start over. It took me forever to find her. And after the Frog case I just couldn't do it anymore. The teasing, insults, no recognition, being sent on any undercover case 'cause I was easy to get to say yes, it was...bad and I needed to start over. My resignation had been typed ever since Kate died, but then she did and I couldn't leave you with Probie, then we got Ziva, then you got blown up, you left then came back and I was offered my own team in Spain but I turned it down because you weren't ready for me to leave. You didn't have all your memories back, do you even remember everything now?" Tony asked intently.

Gibbs looked shocked at the words that poured out of Tony's mouth. He was amazed that Tony had noticed he hadn't regained his memories as quickly as he had said.

"About five years ago I was shot," he ran his fingers through his hair where Tony could see raised skin of a scar; he winced in sympathy and nodded for Gibbs to continue. "The same thing happened as the explosion, I was in a coma for four days and came out just as confused as before but I remembered everything up to the ten years previous to that. So I kept asking for you because you were my probie at the time, but you were gone and nobody would tell me where you were because they wanted me to remember by myself. I kept thinking you were dead; that you were shot too, but Ducky was adamant that you were okay. At least I knew who he was this time. I took a month leave, worked on the boat, drank, sat with Ducky and it all started to come back, even memories I had forgotten from the first time, the very first time during the war. It was eye opening. Afterwards I stayed on desk duty and retired two years later. Duck died one year later, after that Abby had her twins, Archer and Agnus. McGee's director, he started the year I retired, he instituted day care at the office so he could see the twins during the day. Those two are odd parents but it works, they're not married but they say its better that way. I don't understand, they live together and have the kids but what do I know. Now I'm the one rambling."

"Wow" was all Tony could say. Once Jeanne and he had returned from Africa and had access to the rest of the world, Tony had looked everyone up and had kept updates on everyone, he knew Tim had made Director and Abby had the twins and he had sent flowers when Ducky had passed, the old man had even made the news in France at the time. "I'm sorry," he said motioning to Gibbs head. "Why didn't someone call me? I would have come back."

"We didn't know where you were until a few months after everything happened. Abby never quit looking but your trail ran cold in Africa right after you left then it picked back up around Europe but nothing definite." Gibbs filled in.

"Why did you wait so long to find me then?"

"I wasn't sure of the reaction I would get, I thought for a long time you left because of me." Gibbs paused for a moment but didn't let Tony interrupt. "And when I was ready to come Abby was having the twins. Agnus was sickly and didn't come home for a month. Tim was gone working and Abby was having a hard time. They call me Grandpa now. I stayed with them for a few months, now I take them during the week once in a while to give the day care workers a break, I'm usually there for holidays and such." Gibbs finished glowing with pride.

"Do you have pictures?" Tony asked engrossed in Gibbs story.

Gibbs looked affronted that Tony would even ask such a question as he pulled out his wallet.

Tony oohed and ahhed over the pictures as Gibbs looked at the kids drawing on the fridge.

"Jeanne told me about Jet, I'm so sorry Tony, I can't imagine what it felt like to lose him so young."

"That was the hardest moment in my life, laying my son in the ground. I covered his grave with stones and a cross. I hope someday we can go back and visit. I hated leaving him there alone but we had to think of Olivia." Tony eyes were filled with tears as he handed back the many photos Gibbs had.

"Can I ask about James? Jeanne didn't say anything about hearing loss but she was signing to him right?" Gibbs curiosity got the better of him.

"Yeah, when James was born they diagnosed him with hearing loss and by six months we knew it was total loss. We started taking French Sign Language. It's been challenging but I couldn't have asked for a better kid. He knows FSL, Spanish sign and American Sign Language. I'm fluent in FSL and ASL. Olivia and Jeanne know all three as well. We gave Jamie the choice of cochlear implants or not, but this age he says no. He loves his school, teachers, and the whole Deaf community. He sees nothing wrong with himself and neither do we."

"But he's only four, how can he decide?" Gibbs asked astonished. Most hearing parents wanted their children to get the implants as soon as they could if they could.

"He's smart, it's his decision. There's a Deaf community right around the corner, so he lives in both worlds. If, one day, he wants the implants we'll be there to back him up. But it's his choice. I think Jeanne told him to speak ASL to you so you two should be able to communicate. He loves to sail, I take him to the beach whenever I can. I swear he's part fish." Now it was Tony who was speaking with absolute pride.

"You seem really happy Tony and I'm happy for you. I'm glad you found what you were looking for. But I have to ask. Why didn't you contact us? You made me that beautiful room, you sent flowers to Ducky's funeral, and we all thought you would either show up or call, even Ziva and she's living back home working for her government again."

Tony looked grim. "I don't have a good answer for you. The first two years, communication was impossible but afterwards everything was changing and so much was going on. I started working on your room hoping that you'd find me. Hoping that you hadn't stopped looking if you had even started. When I heard Ducky died I was in the hospital with pneumonia and I wanted to be there but I wasn't sure of the reception I would get and every year it just seemed harder and harder. I'm sorry I should have contacted one of you. I'm so used to just cutting ties and moving on and when I did realize I forgot how much of a family we were. I was hoping you would find me because I realized it was you who kept me grounded all those years when I thought I was going to go crazy. You taught me what a real family was. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here today with Jeanne, Olivia, Jamie and the little one on the way. And I was hoping you would find us and want to stay. That room is not just for you to use this time. Jeanne and I would love it if you stayed...permanently. You could help me with the kids coaching teams, maybe even get a job at the Embassy if you want, we even have a garage out back for you to build a boat in. The little ones on the way if you want to help or run screaming, we would understand. The kids already see you as Grandpa or Grandpere; I talked about you more than my father. They never met him and that's fine with me but I really wanted them to meet you even if it is a short visit." Tony ran out of steam and waited for Gibbs response, he had tossed out a huge question and it hung in the air between them.

"Tony...I'm honored you would ask me to be part of your life and especially after all this time. And after I was such an ass to you all those years we worked together. I never saw who you were until you left. And I realized you were a bigger part of my life than I thought; I felt like the last of my family had left, I felt like when I lost Shannon and Kelly. It took me a long time to realize that. And that's why...I got an open ended ticket to return to the states. We'll see how it goes. But I definitely will have to leave in November." Gibbs said smiling.

"Oh" Tony responded disappointedly hoping Gibbs would want to stay for a long time. It was already September, he would be leaving soon. Tony pasted on a smile. "Sounds good, boss"

"Abby, Tim and the kids would kill me if I missed Thanksgiving and Christmas at their house, but maybe I can make it back to celebrate New Years here." Gibbs said with a teasing smile.

Tony looked incredulous.

"You'll stay? You want to stay? That's great! You won't be disappointed, I promise! The kids will-"

"Why do you think I came, DiNizzo? I'm here for the long haul."

Okay so what does everyone think? Did I do the story justice? I'm sorry for all the mistakes I wrote it all in one sitting then posted it so it didn't get a real check. Did I forget anything, should I add anything else? Thank you for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

All right so last chapter was supposed to be the end but I'm going to continue, hopefully everyone will still enjoy.

Thanks for the reviews; they're why I'm continuing. So keep them coming!

I had some people ask about Jen so I'm going to take the advice of Ashy10rox and run with her suggestion. Enjoy.

Gibbs finished his beer as he watched the speechless DiNozzo. He glanced at Tony's dinner, his plate had half a piece of pizza left and he hadn't touched his beer. Gibbs flopped his pizza on Tony's plate then got up to get Tony a bottle of water. He switched Tony's beer for the water and kept the beer for himself.

Jeanne and the kids came in at the moment finished with their dinners. Jeanne looked at Tony with a question in her eyes.

Tony stood to address the family signing and talking, "Everyone, Jethro has agreed to stay with us for awhile."

Jeanne smiled and kissed Gibbs on the cheek in welcome. Olivia started jumping up and down shouting 'Grandpere's staying, Grandpere's staying.'

James stepped forward and started signing to the older man. "Hi, my name is Jamie. Can I give you a name sign?"

"I would be honored." Gibbs signed back. He hadn't had a name sign in years and to be asked right away to be given one felt like he was joining the family permanently.

Jamie thought for a moment then decided on G with a salute. Gibbs smiled in delight and signed, "that'll do." He didn't see Tony freeze for a moment at those words.

Later that night after the kids were asleep. Tony, Gibbs and Jeanne sat on the porch; Gibbs had another beer while Jeanne and Tony were sipping on hot cups of tea. The weather was mild and only a sweatshirt was needed to ward off the chill.

"So what happened to the Director?" Tony asked.

Gibbs noticed that Tony only said Director now instead of Jen or Jennie, as he had been when Gibbs had come back from his extended leave. Ever since the Jeanne undercover op Tony had felt burned by the director and had every right to. Since then 'Jen' had gone away and now it was only the director.

"She was diagnosed with Carcinoma about 2 years ago. She lived a year after that, it was pretty quick. Funeral was large, she, of course, planned the whole thing. Went off without a hitch, she would have been happy with it. McGee took over when she retired, she handpicked him. I stayed with her for end; she 'mellowed', as Abby called it. She always wanted to apologize to both of you but the cancer came on quicker then she anticipated and after she was diagnosed she went pretty fast."

Tony and Jeanne nodded. They sat together on the swing with Gibbs across from in a wicker chair.

"Ziva left not long after you, went back to Israel to work with her family. She married a chemist of some sort and has three kids, crazily enough. She brought them all to the funeral, most polite kids I have ever met. I told her if I ever made to this side of the world I'd come visit."

"So what about you Gibbs? What have you been doing the past ten years?" Tony asked.

"After you left, I'll admit I burned myself and the team out. We weren't used to doing things without a fourth, without you. All of us came to realize how much you did. I'd forgotten how much paperwork I used to do before you arrived and you did even more even after I returned and took over team leader again. The director ordered me to take some time off, all of us. We were burnt out and still grieving. There wasn't a word from you and everything Abby and McGee did to find you turned up blank. It didn't help that your trail ended in Africa of all places. We came back a week later and Jen had assigned us with a new agent, Agent Logan Paris. He worked well and after Ziva left and Tim got promoted to Lead Agent, Agent Paris became Tim's senior field agent. I went through a couple more agents, mostly for them to get training. The longest to last was Agent Lee who wanted to go back out to the field. Since you three trained her earlier she did most of her work the way you three used to. We worked well and she lasted with me until I went on desk duty a year later. Her and Palmer are now married on their fifth child. She and I were on desk duty together when she was pregnant with their third child. After I retired, I started looking more into coming to see you but like I said Abby was pregnant, Jennie was sick, Ducky- well Ducky was fine. He and I had some good times together, he died in his sleep after we had been called in to solve a cold case, he said it was like the 'good ole days'. I finished Kelly two years after you left, sailed her with Ducky when we had time. I gave her to Tim and Abby for the kids when their older, so she's back in my basement waiting to go out again."

"Wait, wait, wait," Tony said exasperated. "How did you get Her out of the basement? I've been wondering how you would do it every since I saw the first boat down there!"

"I knocked out the south wall, made it into a walk out basement complete with an outdoor kitchen. My realtor told me it increased the selling price by 10."

"You sold your house?" Jeanne asked.

"Not yet, but we've had a couple of offers." Gibbs sighed and set down his beer so he could lean closer to the younger couple. "I should have sold the house years ago. After I retired it seemed like I was staying at Ducky's all the time, then I practically moved in with Jen when she got sick, then from there I went to Abby and Tim's place to help. I rarely went home and it didn't feel like home anymore. I knew when I decided to take to this trip that I wouldn't be returning, whether I'd be staying with you or somewhere nearby or if I didn't find you then I was planning on moving closer to Abby or moving somewhere else completely. I hadn't made up my mind but I put the house on the market and put all my stuff into storage, packed my bags and found the closest airport to you two."

"You would have moved nearby even if we hadn't offered you a place?"" Tony asked incredulously.

"Yes Tony, I knew when I finally decided to come that it would be for a long period of time, permanently if you would have me. If not, if I couldn't find you or you didn't want me nearby I had a backup plan sketched out but I was hoping not to have to use it."

Jeanne and Tony were speechless at that and three sat in silence for nearly fifteen minutes.

Jeanne who was almost laying on Tony on the swing sat up to look at her husband. He smiled and ran his hand through her hair.

"How far did you run today?" She asked. Tony made a face at the question but answered anyway.

"Three miles this morning, probably another with the kids this afternoon and I was hoping to do another two tonight, why?" He asked confused, she usually asked him to just make conversation but this didn't seem like it.

"You seem warm, you feeling okay?" She asked as she placed her hand on his forehead.

"I'm fine, it's not that cold out." He said as he removed his hand.

"Go get the thermometer anyway, just to check." Jeanne ordered as she levered herself the rest of the way off of Tony.

"Jeanne, I'm fine." Tony whined, glancing at Gibbs.

"Now Tony, before I take you in for a full physical. You are not getting sick now. That would just to cruel to me." She said jokingly to cover her worry. Tony was sick too often for her liking and every time it took more out of him.

Tony looked at Gibbs again hoping for support.

"Better do what the lady says, I know you hate physicals and I think she could take you." Gibbs said keeping it light.

Tony huffed as he stood muttering about how it wasn't fair two against one.

Once he disappeared in the house, Gibbs had to ask.

"Is he okay? I know you mentioned in Africa he was sick and he said two years ago he was in the hospital with pneumonia, how often does he get sick? Is it all because of the plague?"

"Tony usually gets sick once or twice a year, badly anyway. He gets small colds as well but once or twice a year he gets it bad and usually we spend a few days in the hospital with a nebulizer. He usually gets pneumonia that lessens in to bronchitis. We think it's from the plague; he has a lot of scarring from that. The doctor tells him that running is good; it keeps his lungs strong but then again he runs all year, in the cold, rain, snow, whatever and it weakens his lungs. When the weather changes that's our biggest concern, all the pollen, mold, dust in the air reeks havoc on his system. He's on meds and has an inhaler but there's only so much we can do."

"But he's okay, it's not serious?" Gibbs was anxious now.

"He's fine, but annoyed that his wife and friend talk about him when he's gone. The thermometer says 100.1, nothing serious." Tony announced as he came back outside. "My lungs were damaged from the plague. Brad Pitt came out for a visit a few years back and took a look at my x-rays he says there's nothing that can be done, I'll just be more susceptible to colds then others."

"Dr. Pitt came all the way here for you?" Gibbs asked with a smile. He always liked that guy, but liked him even more when Tony could stop seeing him.

"Well he didn't just come to see me. We talked from time to time as I was his favorite patient and Jeanne had some questions for him. He came out with his family and we took them around and he did some work for me, so it worked out for all." Tony explained.

Gibbs decided a change of topic was needed.

"When's the little one due?" He realized he hadn't asked yet.

"The third of November. The other two didn't arrive near their due date so I'm not planning anything." Jeanne said while rubbing her belly.

"And you don't know what it is?" Jethro asked, they always referred to it as the 'little one' or 'they'.

"One of life's simple pleasure's." Tony explained. "We didn't know what the other two were before they popped out so why find out with this one and ruin the surprise?"

Jeanne at that moment leaned forward and let out a soft 'oof'.

Both men jumped up towards her.

"You okay, babe?" Tony asked.

Jeanne grabbed Tony and Jethro's hands and placed them on her stomach.

"They know we're talking about them." She said as they felt the baby kicking.

"I love that." Tony sighed.

Gibbs was in awe. He hadn't felt this since Shannon had been pregnant with Kelly. It was still an amazing experience.

"Gibbs, I know you said you were planning on going stateside in November, do you know when?" Tony asked.

"Well now I'll probably wait until this one's born. I can't miss that and Abby will understand. It's just the twins I gotta worry about." Gibbs laughed.

Okay so I hope that answers more questions for you and I plan on next chapter being the birth, holidays with both families and maybe a little sickness thrown in. Still okay? Anymore questions I need to answer?


	4. Chapter 4

Jeanne was cleaning breakfast plates when she felt the first twinge. A quick look confirmed it was the 3rd of November. Her and Tony had been so sure she would not have the baby on the due date that Tony was off coaching the girls rugby game. Olivia and James had been either before or after their due dates never on.

Third times a charm, Jeanne thought wryly. Jethro had turned down going to the game and staying with Jeanne in case anything did happen or she needed something, but right now he was out in the back garage, out of reach. Tony had taken Olivia with him to the game so she could meet some friends who had older sisters on the team.

Jeanne reached over and flipped the lights on and off to get James attention who was coloring at the coffee table in the living room. The little boy looked up with a smile wondering what his mom needed.

Quickly she signed. "Go get Grandpere, tell him its time and to call Daddy, okay?"

James was off and running as Jeanne sank into a nearby chair holding her stomach.

Gibbs was taking inventory of the wood he had purchased over the last couple of days. He already had plans for his next boat, _Shannon_, he wanted her to be different from all his other boats so he was taking his time and getting just what he wanted.

He was taking a sip of his lukewarm coffee when he heard running feet. Turning to greet James he stopped when James immediately started to sign and shove Gibb's cell into his hands.

"Mum said to get you and that you need to call Daddy, now." Was the gist of the signing that Gibbs got. James looked scared even though he didn't quite know what was going on.

Gibbs grabbed James's hand and they hurried back to the house.

Tony was in his element yelling at the ref for an unfair call then calling the girls in to make up for the bad call. He loved coaching and even though he had very little knowledge about rugby before coming to France, it was now one of his favorite sports. His girls were the rough and tumble sort, not the kind to take chances but ready to do whatever it took to win, they all reminded him of Ziva. He pulled his cell off his belt once again to check the number, he glanced to the stands to confirm his suspicions, it was one of the parents again calling to ask why their daughter wasn't playing. Tony loved technology but sometimes it got in the way. Twenty years ago a coach wouldn't have the problem of a parent calling to complain during the middle of a game, especially when they were ten feet away!

Tony looked around for some help; he spied Maggie at the end of the bench with a clipboard sketching out plays for future reference. She was one of his favorite players but had been injured during the last game so she was sitting out. He called her over.

"Here, my phone. Answer it, but if anyone needs to speak with me tell them I'm busy making sure we win. Got it? If it's Jeanne then I'll take that, no one else." Tony explained as he handed over his phone.

"Oh sure, make me deal with all the parents." Maggie wrinkled her nose.

"Yep, when you're old and the coach you can delegate your phone out. Now keep up with those plays we'll go over them after practice on Monday."

Maggie nodded and went back to the bench almost immediately the phone started to ring with another parent on the line. With a sigh she flipped the cell open to hear the tirade.

Jethro ran into the house to see Jeanne almost falling off the chair holding her belly.

"How far apart?" He asked as he checked her pulse and watched her reactions.

She breathed deeply before answering.

"About 5 minutes."

"Okay, let's get you to the hospital." He said as he helped to lever her up and out to the car.

"We need to call Tony." She gasped.

"I'll do it in the car, let's get you going first." Gibbs replied.

James followed them signing absently as he wasn't sure what to do.

Gibbs helped strap Jeanne in to the back of the van where there was more room. He then told James to sit in back with her so she wouldn't get lonely. Jamie was glad to have something to do.

Gibbs climbed into the front and pulled out his cell dialing Tony quickly before he even strapped himself in. He was surprised when a female answered but before he could become suspicious he heard cheering in the background and Tony yelling out.

"I need to talk to Coach DiNozzo now." He growled.

"Coach T is busy winning the game and didn't you see that play, it was amazing!" The girl squealed.

"This is an emergency. His wife is in labor and I'm driving her to the hospital now." Gibbs almost yelled.

"Oh, umm, just a minute." The girl said before he could hear her yelling for 'Coach T'.

Maggie ran up to Tony yelling out getting the attention of the entire team, plus the fans and even the other team.

"Your wives in labor some guy's driving her to the hospital!" She gasped out as she thrust the phone back to him.

Tony turned a few shades lighter and didn't notice as the field became quiet and all play stopped.

"Gibbs?" Tony asked as he looked at the caller I.D.

"Get your ass to the hospital DiNozzo, you're going to be a father again!" Jethro shouted into the phone. That got Jeanne laughing before she gasped in pain again. "Jamie hold your mum's hand." He signed and said when they stopped at a light.

"How far apart are the contractions?" Tony asked as he started to leave.

"Five minutes, we're ten minutes from the hospital, see you there." Gibbs said before he hung up.

Tony stopped in shock; Gibbs' hadn't done that in years. He then realized the field was silent.

"I'm having a baby!" He shouted as he started to jog off the field right through the stopped play. The entire stadium started to cheer as he left the field. They cheered again as he ran back into the field to grab Olivia who was chasing after him.

Maggie laughed then stepped up to start calling out plays.

Tony ran every stoplight there was on the way to the hospital, he hadn't missed one of his kid's births and he wasn't about to start now.

"My wife's in labor, Jeanne DiNozzo." Tony panted as he reached the front desk.

"Maternity's on the fourth floor, but I saw the father go in with Dr. DiNozzo?" The woman said puzzled.

"I'm her husband." Tony almost shouted to the nurse whom had to have been new. Tony and the kids visited the hospital a lot and most of the staff knew them on site. "That's my dad!" Tony did shout referring to the man who was with his wife.

The nurse looked chastised and quickly told him what room they were in.

"Can you take my kids to the daycare?" Tony asked.

"That's only for employees…" she started to say before Tony's glare stopped her. "Of course, right this way."

"Olivia, translate for your brother. I'll send Grandpere down as soon as I can, okay?" Tony said and signed to the kids. They both nodded in agreement before the nurse shuffled them off.

When Tony reached the birthing room he ran into the doctor.

"Tony! Good to see you again. Looks like the little tyke is coming right on time! Who's the guy with Jeanne?" Dr. Michelle Louv asked.

"That's my…" It would take too long and be too complicated to explain the story so Tony stuck with his original story. "He's my father, just arrived from the U.S. a month ago."

"That explains the little French and why he seems so comfortable, I bet he's done this a few times." The doctor remarked referring to the calmness Gibbs was keeping as he coached Jeanne through the contractions.

"Right" Tony responded a little confused. As far as he knew Gibbs had only been present at one birth and that was Kelly's. Maybe he did have more to learn about Gibbs.

Tony donned his scrubs then went to trade places with Gibbs. The doctor was right, Gibbs was the calmest person in the room, reading the equipment, holding Jeanne's hair, telling her when the contraction would end then moping her brow with a towel.

Jeanne spotted Tony first.

"Tony! You made it! Thank God! I was not having this child without you, though it was trying too." She panted.

"I'm here, shhh, you're doing great. Thanks Gibbs." Tony said as he stepped up to take Gibb's place.

"Contractions are 2 minutes apart, she's doing great. Good luck you two." He said as he stepped away.

"Hey Gibbs," Tony called much to the doctors confusion. "The kids are down at the daycare on three."

"Got it."

Tony stepped over to Gibb's. "Thank you, dad" he muttered before giving Gibb's a quick hug and hurrying back to Jeanne's side without a glance backward. Gibbs stood rooted to the spot until a nurse bumped into him and hustled him out. He smiled then headed down to pick up the kids.

Four hours later, Gibb's sat with James on one side and Olivia on the other both sound asleep. The three had played at the daycare for a bit then had some lunch/dinner then came up to the waiting room to wait for some news. The kid didn't last long with only the all news channel playing on the one TV. It didn't hold Gibb's interest either since it was all in French. He was nodding off when the door opened and there stood Tony with a small bundle in his arms.

Gibbs extracted himself from the kids and stood to see his newest 'grandchild'.

"I believe this would be your fifth grandchild." Tony said as he placed the baby in Gibb's arms, referring to his now three children and Abby's two. "Grandpere meet Evan, Evan this is your Grandpa."

"He's beautiful Tony. Looks just like you."

The baby boy had light hair, with a light complexion, which set off his rosy red lips. When Evan opened his eyes Gibbs was pleased to see green eyes peering back at him.

"He could be your twin." Gibbs said in awe as he ran his fingers over the baby fuzz.

Tony smiled in happiness then leaned down to wake Olivia and Jamie.

"Hey guys, I want you to meet your new brother." He said shaking them awake.

"Aww, not another boy." Olivia said.

Tony and Gibbs laughed as Gibbs sat down between them so they could have a good look.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you all for the reviews, keep them coming they help keep me going!

Ch 5

"Tony what aren't you telling me?" Gibbs asked a week after Evan had been born. Tony and Gibb's were in the nursery giving Evan a bottle. At Tony's confusion, he elaborated. "You and Jeanne are moping. You're fine around the kids and usually me but something's wrong, is Evan okay?"

Tony sighed and looked the baby boy in his arms, he loved this time of their lives but this would be the last time he would enjoy it.

"Jeanne and I both knew we wanted kids when we got together, we weren't sure on how many but we figured we would figure it out as we went. It seems its been figured out. Without our input."

"What does that mean?" Gibbs was confused now and angry that Tony hadn't talked to him earlier or he hadn't figured something was up sooner.

"After the birth, Dr. Louv recommended that Evan be our last. We're both getting older and she doesn't think Jeanne would be able to handle another. We've always had trouble getting pregnant, that's why the kids are far apart. And Dr. Louv says that Jeanne should consider getting a hysterectomy in a year or two for her health. I guess I've always known I wanted a big family especially with Jeanne. After my childhood I didn't want any of my kids to be lonely or never see their parents. After James, I just wanted more and more. I thinking around five but I guess we'll stick with three." Tony finished a bit sadly.

"I'm so sorry Tony. You two are good parents, I can see you with ten kid and doing fine but there's always adoption-any kid, no matter where they're from would be lucky to have parents like you two."

"Thanks Jethro…" He trailed off unsure what else to say, "I appreciate that."

The DiNozzo/Gibbs household fell into easy rhythm. Jeanne went back to work after two months after Gibbs returned; Tony took more time off to spend with Evan and the other two. When Gibbs returned he worked on his boat, ran errands and drove Olivia and James to practices and events so Tony wouldn't have to strap Evan in every time he went out. Though Gibb's and Tony would take Evan out when everyone else was gone. One of them would strap Evan to their chests and go for long walks or Tony would take Gibb's to places he found while having time off with Olivia and James. The two became even closer.

Jethro had returned stateside the week before Thanksgiving and stayed until Christmas with Abby, Tim and the twins. He had a great time but missed the DiNozzo's like crazy. He returned to celebrate the New Year with them.

November 15th.

Gibbs had been surprised when he opened the front door to see Tim standing on the stoop looking at a paper confused.

"Tim! What are you doing here?" Gibbs asked shocked.

"I was in Paris on business and Abby thought you might need a ride back home."

"Abby, huh?" Gibbs laughed as he ushered Tim into the house.

"Well Abby, the kids, me. Since I was in the neighborhood and have the private jet I thought it would be more convenient…for you, of course."

"Right, right. Paris is only a short six-hour drive from here and I have a plane ticket for two days from now. You couldn't wait?"

"Actually we flew the plane here and I figured, why wait?"

"Sure Tim. Sounds good, I hate flying international."

"I know, boss." Tim responded fondly as he was cuffed up the head for the comment. "Is Tony here?" He asked looking around anxiously.

Of course, he's Mister Stay at Home Dad. Can't get rid of him." Jethro teased. "Jeanne and Tony had their 3rd child two weeks ago, they're both home. Olivia and James are at Jeanne's mothers house, they have a short holiday at school so they went to the country."

"Abby told me about Olivia and James but I didn't know they had another, that's great! A girl or boy?"

"Boy, name's Evan. Cutest little thing, next to Archer and Agnus of course." Gibbs teased as he led Tim into the kitchen.

"Of course." Tim rolled his eyes.

Gibbs smiled as he entered the kitchen where Tony was cooking while holding Evan and Jeanne was sitting with her feet up peeling potatoes. If Abby and the kids were here, life would be perfect, Gibbs thought.. Tony and Tim had both grown tremendously over the past decade. Tim, now had a spine of steel, which he needed with all the politics he had to deal with. Tony had softened, grown into himself, he had become more comfortable.

"Hey Jethro, who was at the door?" Tony asked without looking up.

"My ride back to the states."

"Huh?" Tony looked up at that. "Tim!!" Tony's eyes became impossibly wider before he came around the counter to hug Tim.

Gibbs stepped in first.

"No squishing my grandchild, he'd be scarred for life."

"It's so good to see you, Tony." Tim gushed as the two embraced. "Abby's going to be so jealous!"

Tony laughed at that. "It's good to see you, Probie. I heard you went and got a grown up job. What were you thinking?" Tony teased.

"We can't all just laze around and do nothing like you Tony." Tim teased back, Gibbs had told him and Abby Tony's story after Gibbs had found Tony. They both knew how hard Tony had had it and how things had finally turned out for him.

Tony sighed. "Ahh, yes we can't all be as lucky, right hun?" He asked Jeanne who was still sitting.

She smirked. "Yes, life couldn't get any better. If only you could figure out the laundry then I could call life perfect."

"Tim, I want you to meet my wife, Dr. Jeanne DiNozzo. Jeanne, this is Timothy McGee, Director of NCIS. And I do know how to do the laundry, we just don't always get along."

"It's an honor to meet you ma'am. I've heard a lot about you from Gibbs." Tim said as he shook her hand waving her back down as she started to get up.

"Pleasure's all mine, Tim or should I call you Probie. All the stories I heard about you, I think only once Tony called you Tim." She teased.

"Some things never change." Tim said smiling.

"So you're taking Grandpere from us early?" Tony asked looking concerned, he knew Olivia and James would be upset at Gibbs leaving before they got to say goodbye.

"If it's alright with you, Grandpa is due home according to Archer and Agnus, all we hear is Grandpa home, Grandpa home. Multiple that by two and its quite a headache, even June at the daycare is begging us to bring you back so she can have a break."

"That June is one brave woman." Gibbs commented as he sipped on the fresh coffee Tony had brewed.

"Olivia and Jamie will be sad they missed you." Jeanne commented reading Tony's thoughts.

"I've set up the webcam on my computer so we can talk while I'm gone. That way we can still 'see' each other. I figure I can use it when I get back to talk to Archer and Agnus."

Gibbs went upstairs to finish packing while Tony and Tim continued to catch up in the kitchen. Tim sat at the table with Jeanne and played with Evan while they waited.

As they said goodbye, Jethro and Tony embraced and Tony whispered, "you are coming back, right?"

"As long as you want me, I'll be back." Jethro answered back giving Tony an extra squeeze.

Tony and Jeanne waved until Tim and Jethro were out of sight then returned back to the house with one less person to occupy it.

When Tim and Gibbs touched down in D.C. they saw Abby, Agnus, and Archer waiting for them on the strip and Gibbs felt welcomed home by the calling for Grandpa as he exited the plane.

After the New Year

Tony and Jeanne had gotten over their melancholy at having no more children and once in a great while talked about adopting or becoming foster parents. Tony wasn't sure about becoming a foster parent because he was unsure he would be able to say goodbye over and over again when the kids left, but they still talked about it to keep their options open.

At six months, Evan was sitting up and rolling over whenever he could. Olivia was working on a volcano science project and James was Oliver in the upcoming Deaf version of Oliver Twist. Gibbs was trying to help him with his lines but his FSL was slow in coming so he helped Olivia, which was much easier for him.

Gibbs, Olivia, Jamie and Evan were all sitting on the floor when Tony came back from his run. He usually tried to get it in before Jeanne came home for dinner.

He stepped inside the back door leaning against the wall. He was wheezing harshly and knew the onset of pneumonia probably wasn't far but at the moment he didn't care. He couldn't breathe and he needed his inhaler, which was in his bedroom.

Gibbs stopped talking to Olivia when he heard the back door open and shut. He waited for Tony to come through but nothing happened.

"Honey, keep looking for ideas and we'll pick one tonight, okay? I'll be right back, watch your brothers."

He found Tony leaning against the wall gasping for breath.

"Where's your inhaler? Or do we need to go to the hospital?" Gibbs demanded.

"Bedroom." Tony wheezed for an answer. Gibbs was gone and back before Tony was aware. He took deep pulls from the inhaler sighing as his lungs started to open up.

At this point he was sitting on the floor with his legs pulled up. He looked up resigned at Gibbs who was towering over him.

"You better keep Evan away." He said tiredly.

"Yeah, come on. Let's get you to bed and turn on the humidifier." Tony sighed as Gibbs hauled him up. The two made their way upstairs to Tony and Jeanne's bedroom. Tony quickly showered while Gibbs checked on the kids. He made sure Tony was comfortable before going down to start dinner.

"Tony still out for his run?" Jeanne asked as she breezed in and swooped down to kiss Evan and Jamie.

Gibbs gave her a look, the two of them had also spent a lot of time together and Jeanne could read Jethro almost as well as Tony could.

"Where is he?" She asked again.

"In bed, he was wheezing pretty bad after his run. Used his inhaler then got into bed around four he's been out ever since."

Jeanne let out a worried sigh. "I hope we can avoid the hospital this time. I'll go check on him then come back down to get his dinner."

"Don't worry I'll feed the kids and then bring both your meals up."

"What did we ever do without you?" Jeanne asked as she leaned in to give Gibbs a peck on the cheek.

"Starve?" Gibbs said cheekily, mission accomplished he thought as he got Jeanne to laugh as she walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the delay, the place where I usually work on this story lost power for a few days because of a Halloween prank so I was unable to continue for a bit. Here's the next installment, I'm not sure how many more I'll do but enjoy.

Gibbs hurried to the door before whoever was on the other side had another chance to ring the bell. He didn't want Evan to wake, or Tony for that matter. Even though it seemed like Tony slept all the time, he wasn't. The constant coughing and gasping for breath kept him awake most of the time and he slipped into sleep whenever his exhaustion couldn't be kept at bay anymore.

It had been two days since Tony had come into the house wheezing, his condition had gone downhill from there with the onset of pneumonia. Jeanne planned on taking a week or two off to monitor him but a 'superbug' caught wind in the local schools and the hospitals were overcrowded. Instead of spending more time at home, as Jeanne planned, she was spending less due to the demands of the hospital.

Gibbs swung the front door open to be confronted with, what looked like Tony's entire rugby team. Girls stood in the yard and the driveway holding various dishes, some had younger siblings with them, and some were alone. It was Thursday afternoon, school had been cancelled due to the 'superbug' so Gibbs wasn't too surprised to see them out and about, but he had no idea why they were at the house.

The girl who rang the bell, stepped forward. Gibbs recognized her as one of Tony's favorite players, they had met once before a game but Gibbs couldn't recall her name.

"Monsieur Gibbs, my name is Maggie. I play Coach T's team. We met at game early." Her English was broken but Gibbs understood and was thankful for her effort. He was learning French but his conversational skills weren't up to par yet.

"Yes, I remember you. How can I help you?" He asked keeping things short and simple.

Another girl stepped forward.

"My name is Fran, Tony helped get me an Au Pair job in Washington last year so English is a little easier for me. Maggie and the team were wondering if we could help in any way. We brought over some dishes so Dr. D wouldn't need to cook. I know she's working all the time, my dad's a nurse and he barely makes it home now." Two girls stepped forward, one younger than the other. Gibbs recognized the younger one as a friend of Olivia's. "Maddy was wondering if Olivia could come over to their house and spend the weekend, since school's out. Here's their number and how to reach their parents. I think Tony and Dr. D have the number but here it is for you. And I was wondering if I could help out with Evan, I could stay in Olivia's room and watch Evan while you take care of Coach T. I was in Au Pair for two kids in D.C, one a newborn."

Gibbs was speechless, these girls were already helping more then they knew. He was shocked at the selflessness these girls had. At that moment, Andi and her son, Claude, walked up the drive, looking shocked at all the girls in the yard. Andi and Claude were friends of the family. Both were Deaf and Claude was in the same year as James.

Gibbs turned to Fran. "Thank you for everything. Come on in; put the food in the kitchen. Olivia's in her room if Maddy wants to get her, she can go to her house for the weekend, that's fine with me. Just tell everyone to be quiet, Tony and Evan are sleeping. If you don't mind staying the weekend, I'm not going to say no, that would be a huge help." He stepped out of the way for everyone to go in, as he watched the girls who didn't bring anything started to clean the house. He was amazed.

He turned back to Andi and Claude who looked confused. Andi, was a consult for the French government. Her and Gibbs got along great, greatly helped by the fact that she knew ASL along with FSL.

"What's going on?" She signed. Before Gibbs could answer Jeanne pulled in. He waited for her to get out of the car and make her way over to them. She looked dead on her feet. Even though it was early afternoon she had been at work for the past 24 hours.

"Hey Andi, Claude, Gibbs, how is everyone?" She signed. Then cocked her head to the open door of the house. "What all that noise?"

"Apparently Tony's rugby team came over to take care of us. They brought food, some are cleaning and Maddy and her sister invited Olivia to stay over at their house for the weekend. Fran, offered to stay the weekend to take care of Evan. She said Tony got her an au pair job in D.C.?" Gibbs explained.

"Yes, Tony called some friends in D.C. when Fran was looking to go stateside and he set it all up. She's a great kid, we got to know her well before she left and she's come around a few times since. That will be a huge help. I have to be back at the hospital in six hours." She signed to both the adults. Claude had run off signing 'adult conversations were boring' and went into the house, presumably to find Jamie.

"Well I guess we're joining the crowd." Andi signed. "I was wondering if we could take Jamie off your hands for the weekend. I thought one less kid would be easier but it looks like you'll have none!"

"That sounds great. I know Jamie would love to spend the weekend at your place. And the less time the kids are in contact with Tony the better." Jeanne hated to say it but it was true.

After the rugby team had cleared out and Fran had taken Evan to the park, Gibbs headed up to check on Tony and Jeanne. She had wanted to check on him as soon as she arrived home. It had been an hour so Gibbs decided to go check on both of them.

Jeanne was slumped over in the chair that Gibbs had been using to keep vigil over Tony during the day, her stethoscope slipping slowly out of her lax fingers. Gibbs shook her gently to rouse her then had her on her feet out of the bedroom before she could react.

"You're not sleeping with Tony. He barely sleeps as is and you need all the sleep you can get. I'll take care of him and I'll wake you in a few hours so you can shower and eat before you head back to work." Jethro explained as he settled her on Jamie's bed.

"He's getting worse." She whispered tiredly.

"I thought he was getting better, he's sleeping more and his coughing seems to have eased." Jethro countered.

"No, he is getting better now. But the times between him getting sick are getting shorter, he's getting worse." She repeated. "How long can he do this? How long can his lungs keep going and the stress on his heart? Something needs to be done." She explained with her eyes closed. Gibbs knew she would never say her fears aloud normally but her tiredness and the stress of Tony and the hospital was taking its toll.

"Shhh, rest, everything will look better later. Don't worry, sleep." Gibbs comforted as he ran his fingers through her hair to get her to relax. It was only a few moments before she let out a deep sigh and drifted off completely.

Her fears were his also. He knew from Tony and Jeanne telling him previously that Tony was getting sick more often. It was taboo in the household and they never discussed together, it would come up in random conversations and be passed as if it were no concern. If there was ever a time Jethro wished Ducky was still alive this was it.

Maybe he could put in a call to Dr. Pitt. Tony had mentioned the man and his family had visited before; so they still had to be in contact somehow, Jethro thought as he headed back to Tony's side.

Gibbs entered the bedroom expecting to see Tony where he had left him, in bed deeply asleep. He found Tony doing neither of those things. The younger man was facedown on the carpet. The heart monitor was flat lined as the wires were dangling freely on the bed.

Gibbs rushed to Tony's side, he was still breathing but it was harsh and uneven.

"Tony, Tony can you hear me? What are you doing out of bed?" Gibbs growled angry Tony had attempted to move without help.

"I…bathroom." Tony panted as he lifted himself onto his hands and knees. "I'm…not…peeing the bed."

Gibbs huffed as he pulled Tony up and threw his arm across his shoulder.

"Fine, but lets do this quickly, then back in bed for you." Gibbs said as he dragged Tony into the bathroom. He held him steady as Tony did his business then hauled him back to bed.

Tony was gasping for breath as he was laid back down. Gibbs lifted Tony's legs onto the bed then set about reattaching the heart monitor and giving Tony some oxygen.

"There, now go back to sleep." Gibbs demanded as he finished.

"I just woke up. I'm not going to fall back asleep anyway its 3 o'clock. Is Jeanne home?" Tony asked from behind the mask.

"Yeah, she got home about an hour ago, she's sleeping in Jamie's bed. She has to be back to work in a few hours. You hungry?"

Tony shook his head no as his mind drifted off. He felt mentally and physically exhausted but he knew he would not bed able to sleep anymore for the time being. He hated being sick. It seemed like he was sick all the time. He hated being a burden and having to be taken care of. His thoughts stopped as he felt Gibb's hand start to run through his hair in a soothing gesture. Tony patted the empty bed next to him. It was lonely without Jeanne.

"What happened after I left?" Tony questioned. He knew Gibbs had told him the general story but he wanted more detail. Had he really mattered at NCIS? Things seemed hazier now but he wanted to know.

Gibbs was surprised by the question and had to think what exactly Tony was asking but climbed into bed next to Tony anyway as he thought of his answer. He stretched out to get comfortable then turned to the man he considered his son.

"When I read your resignation letter I was not surprised but still devastated. I had been to your apartment and Jeanne's to see where you were the night before but seeing your empty apartments I knew you were gone for good. I remembering telling McGee he was senior agent and to find a replacement for himself then I handed over your letter to Jen. She was pretty devastated as well. We talked for a few hours or more like I yelled for the first hour and she calmed me down. I think that's the first time her and I got drunk at the office in the middle of a workday. We were kind of lost. When I went back to the bullpen, everyone was gone. They left a note saying they all went to Joe's and were taking the day off. Apparently the director and I weren't the only ones getting drunk in the middle of the day."

"I found them all at Joe's, Abby, Tim, Ziva, Ducky, Palmer and Lee. By the number of shot glasses I'd say they toasted you a lot. Jimmy didn't drink so he ended up driving us all home, he's a good kid. Never thought of him as a dad but he's amazing, he took off a few years to stay at home while Michele worked. Anyway I headed down to the boat and almost finished it that night. We all came back the next morning and expected to see you there like after watching your car getting blown up you still came back but you were still gone. Abby and Tim tried tracking you down but couldn't find anything until a few days later and your flight to Africa. Did you buy the ticket last minute? They were monitoring all airlines but when we found out about your flight it was too late for us to do anything."

"It did cross my mind that you guys might be looking for me so I brought the ticket under my dad's name then changed it when I got to the airport. I didn't want to have to say goodbye again. I knew if you all showed up then I wouldn't leave and I knew I needed too. Sorry." Tony whispered as he trailed off.

Gibbs resumed running his fingers through Tony's hair. Tony let out a long sigh and sunk further into the bed as the motion relaxed him more and more.

"We were pretty depressed the next few weeks afterward. We had case after case and couldn't seem to catch up. It was distracting in a way but not in a good way. Like I said we all overworked ourselves and were forced to take leave. We all needed it. I went and saw Kate, Shannon, and Kelly. Took Ducky with me so he could meet Shannon and Kelly. I worked on the boat but Ducky kept me occupied with clearing out his house, having lunch with the team, meeting up with Abby. I even saw a few movies."

"No! I was never able to do that! What did you see?" Tony exclaimed sitting up but stopping as a coughing attack took effect. Gibbs rubbed Tony's back as the younger man struggled to get his breathing under control again.

As soon as Tony was breathing normally again Gibbs continued as if nothing had happened.

"Abby drug me to see The Bee Movie, stupid if you ask me and Ducky and I saw American Gangster, not too bad."

"I didn't see a movie in theaters for over three years, I still haven't caught up but Olivia loves Bee Movie. Don't mention it to her or else you'll be watching it six times in a row."

Gibbs let out a huge yawn as he settled deeper into the bed.

"Why don't you take a quick nap? I'll set the alarm so you can wake Jeanne." Tony suggested, it was for his benefit as well as Gibbs, the talking the two had done had worn Tony out again but he wasn't going to admit it. It was nice Gibbs had told Tony so much, Gibbs wasn't known for his many words.

Gibbs smiled as he agreed with Tony's plan. He knew the kid was as tired as he was, it had felt good to tell Tony how much he had been missed. He knew Tony was insecure and always needed reassurance that he was important. Gibbs realized he didn't do that much in the past but things were changing now. He settled down closer to Tony and grabbed a throw from the bottom of the bed and made himself comfortable.

The two were out before they knew it.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 7

Thank you to all who have reviewed, it definitely has kept this story alive. So this will be the end or so I think as of now.

20 Years Later

"I don't think I can do this." Tony whispered gloomily into his orange juice. His two companions smiled and saluted their scotch to him. His audience consisted of Gibbs and Harmon Rabb, now senior. The three were sitting at a table at a rehearsal dinner, the rehearsal was over, now it was just talking and drinking before everyone split up to prepare for the big day.

"You'll do fine." Gibbs reassured him, as him and Harm passed amusing glances at each other. Tony had been in denial ever since Olivia had showed off her engagement from Harmon Rabb Jr., one year ago.

The past twenty years had been good to the DiNozzo's, there had been ups and downs but mostly good fortune had fallen on the DiNozzo/Gibbs household. Olivia had graduated from school and went onto a university in Spain. She graduated and took a job in London where she met Harm Jr., who worked in the same office as her. They dated for two years before he popped the question. Tony was a little happier when Harm was transferred to Paris and Olivia agreed to move with him. She would be a lot closer for everyone to visit. The Rabbs were not so happy as they were still living in London.

Jamie graduated from his Deaf school and played rugby and football at a local college, he followed in his father's footsteps and was now a coach for his old school and was married to his high school sweetheart who was a teacher at the school. They were frequent guests at the DiNozzo household claiming they couldn't go long without Jethro's cooking, especially Celeste, Jamie's wife, who was now six months pregnant.

Evan, who recently turned 21, was going to college in New York. He had returned for Olivia's wedding and planned on staying for the summer much to Tony's happiness. Evan had grown to look exactly like Tony. He graduated from high school very popular after playing on the rugby, cricket, football (soccer) and the swim team, it helped that Tony had been a popular coach at the school as well. When Evan graduated he already had been accepted to various different schools, three being in the U.S. but New York University had caught his eye when they went to visit schools so that was it. He was getting his Business degree in the winter semester and then was going to graduate school in Washington D.C. already agreeing to take a room at Abby's and McGee's.

Tony had continued to coach and work for the French Consultant until he turned sixty. He retired from the government and cut coaching down to just his girl's rugby team. Jeanne had retired when Tony had. They took a few trips together but mostly relaxed together like they never had the chance before.

Jethro had stayed with the DiNozzo's returning stateside to see Abby, Tim and the kids on birthdays and other holidays. His French and FSL were flawless and he helped Jamie coach little league basketball. He had finished another boat then moved onto building Jamie and Celeste a dining room table. He was now finishing a headboard for Olivia and Harm. Jamie and Gibbs grew the closest and were practically inseparable before Jamie moved out. It worked out for Jamie since him and Tony were the most to butt heads. Whenever the two needed some time out or to work out their issues they went to Gibbs but they couldn't seem to work out the issues between the two of them, which caused everyone else in the household headaches.

It all came to a head when Jamie came home from school when he was 17. Jethro was stateside, Jeanne was at a conference in Milan and Evan was at swim practice. Tony was getting over another bout of bronchitis, his third that year when Jamie walked in the house ready to start supper. He ran upstairs to check on his dad and found him passed out on the floor covered in vomit.

Tony had had it. He had been sick most of the year and couldn't stand being sick anymore. His sickness was a burden on the family and himself. Instead of taking his pills he decided to drink. He was too tired to keep going and at the time it seemed better just to end it. The alcohol numbed him until it started coming back up as his sick body rebelled against the poison. Jamie found Tony after he had passed out and puked thankfully on his side.

Jamie fixed his dad up and called his mom and Jethro, who both decided to cut their trips short and come home. They hadn't realized how bad it had gotten with Tony and were somewhat blaming themselves. They needn't worry. When they returned home, Tony was mostly over his cold and him and Jamie had attended three AA meetings together. The two had long conversations and their relationship was rocky at first but they soon became closer than ever because of the incident. Tony had attended AA meetings ever since and Jamie would join him as often as he could.

Olivia and Evan weren't told what happened that day until Olivia was out of college and at home for a long stretch and Evan found out before he left for the states. Both were shocked but were proud of Tony and Jamie for putting it behind them and moving on.

"So Admiral, what are you and Mac going to do now that you finally retired?" Gibbs asked Harmon Sr. while ignoring Tony who finished off his orange juice with a scowl for once wishing he could have something heavier. He smiled when Sarah Mackenzie sat next to him with her ginger ale.

Harmon and Sarah had moved to London for Harm to work at the JAG there. Sarah resigned her commission and went to work for a private law office. Tony and Harm had joked how nice it was for their wives to make much more then them, enabling them all to live quite comfortably when they retired.

Harm and Mac, both infertile, decided to adopt when they moved to London after they had tied the knot. They found a pregnant mother with a two-year-old girl who had Downs Syndrome. The mother would not be able to care for another child so the Rabb's entered into a contract to help the mother until she gave birth. The mother, Helen, died during the delivery. Instead of upsetting, Miral, the 2 year old girl, they took her in as well as the little boy she gave birth to, Harmon Rabb Jr.

The two families split up to get some sleep then get ready for the big day. Evan and Tony helping Jethro up and out to the car. Jethro had had a blood clot a few years back from flying back and forth across the Atlantic. He awoke with great pain and managed to throw one of Tony's rugby balls at Tony and Jeanne's room, since it was after midnight. Tony came out to check and found Gibbs lying on the floor in his doorway. They rushed him to the hospital and found the clot before it could travel and do any damage, but since then and combined with his previous knee problems Jethro had to use a cane at all times. Abby packed up and sent over Ducky's collection of canes for Gibbs to choose from. He hated being less mobile but accepted it with old age.

The next day as Olivia and Harm uttered 'I do' in front of the whole church there was barely a dry eye in the house.

Afterwards as Tony danced with his oldest child she smiled up at her father and told him that she was six weeks pregnant.

"If its a boy, we want to name him Jet."

Tony stopped in shock as his eyes teared up.

"What about the Harmon Rabb tradition?"

"Well, I agreed the next child will be named Harm or Harmina if its a girl." She teased as her father fought to regain his composure.

Tony was happy- his family was happy, his baby girl was married to a good man, his son was about to be a father himself and his other son was exploring his world. Jeanne and him had a few more trips planned some with Jethro some without; they did need alone time after all.

Abby, McGee, the twins, Ziva and her family were all able to attend the wedding and it was nice for everyone to be together again. When Tony left over thirty years ago this was not how he expected life to end up. It was better than he could have imagined.

Okay so this is planned to be the ending. It's not quite what I had in mind but let me know what you think. If I think of anything else I want to add I'll post it as I go. I hope everyone enjoyed the story and thank you for all the reviews; they definitely made my writing days.


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